Buckeye1980
10-02-2009, 11:17 AM
Junior CB Curtis Brown is adding experience and improved knowledge of the game to his athleticism to become an all-around defensive back for the Longhorns.
Saturday afternoon against UTEP, the Longhorns defensive backfield helped hold the Miners to just 44 yards through the air. A key component in that unit this season has been junior cornerback Curtis Brown.
As a high school star in Gilmer, Texas, and now in his third season on the Texas football team, the former prep All-American has emerged to provide solid play in the Longhorns' secondary.
Defensive backs coach Duane Akina has seen Brown begin to understand what it takes to grow from an excellent athlete to a better football player.
“I think he’s become more of a student of the game,” Akina said. “He’s always been a phenomenal athlete, but we’ve tried to stress more than being a great athlete. You want to be a great football player. He’s done a much better job of the mental side of the game.”
Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp agrees with Akina’s assessment of Brown’s continued improvement.
“He’s really improved his play and really improved his mental aptitude of what we do and how we do it in the offseason,” Muschamp said. “I've been really pleased with him, and Duane (Akina) has done a phenomenal job with him.”
Playing in the same defensive backfield as Brown, safety Blake Gideon has noticed Brown becoming a more complete player. Like the coaching staff, Gideon has been able to observe Brown’s progress to becoming a better-rounded cornerback.
“I think mainly the mental part of the game is really slowing down for him and he’s always willing to ask questions,” Gideon said. “We have a great resource in the best coaches, and best DB coach in the country in coach Akina. Curtis does a great job of asking questions and trying to get better every day.”
Brown’s ability to ask questions and learn from his experiences on the field has allowed him to become a player the Longhorns coaches know that they can rely on.
“Through four games, Curtis has probably had our best play at corner,” Muschamp said. “He’s really doing an outstanding job at man coverage, he’s really making great breaks, and he¹s been a shut down guy. He¹s not getting a lot of balls because (the receivers) can't get off the line of scrimmage.”
The Gilmer native can feel himself improving with each game and realizes the more he improves physically and mentally, the more confidence he gains.
“I’ve been doing well with my press technique and my fundamentals,” Brown said. “I’ve just been working hard on the little aspects of the game and everything just seems like it’s falling into place. I’ve just got to keep it up and keep going in a positive direction.”
Brown draws much of his motivation from the players who are now in the NFL who were once in his position. The junior keeps in touch with former Longhorns Aaron Ross and Michael Huff, and draws inspiration from their success at Texas and now in the NFL.
Akina noted Brown has similarities to those two when they were young players at Texas.
“He’s really become a more physical player, which I think helps your confidence,” Akina said. “He reminds me a little bit of Aaron Ross and Michael Huff when they were young players. As years went on, they started becoming more confident and their physical nature really started to emerge.”
Although he has performed at a high level to this point, Brown knows that in order to be mentioned with the great defensive backs in Longhorns history he has to continue to push himself.
“Our standards (as defensive backs at Texas) are real high,” Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of people to look up to. We’ve watched some of their tapes as a group, and they just knew all the aspects of the game. They weren’t just athletes out there - they were complete DBs. They knew the mental side, and they had the athleticism to perform on Saturdays. We’re just trying to keep up to their standards that they set here.”
Ryan Graney is with Texas Media Relations
Saturday afternoon against UTEP, the Longhorns defensive backfield helped hold the Miners to just 44 yards through the air. A key component in that unit this season has been junior cornerback Curtis Brown.
As a high school star in Gilmer, Texas, and now in his third season on the Texas football team, the former prep All-American has emerged to provide solid play in the Longhorns' secondary.
Defensive backs coach Duane Akina has seen Brown begin to understand what it takes to grow from an excellent athlete to a better football player.
“I think he’s become more of a student of the game,” Akina said. “He’s always been a phenomenal athlete, but we’ve tried to stress more than being a great athlete. You want to be a great football player. He’s done a much better job of the mental side of the game.”
Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp agrees with Akina’s assessment of Brown’s continued improvement.
“He’s really improved his play and really improved his mental aptitude of what we do and how we do it in the offseason,” Muschamp said. “I've been really pleased with him, and Duane (Akina) has done a phenomenal job with him.”
Playing in the same defensive backfield as Brown, safety Blake Gideon has noticed Brown becoming a more complete player. Like the coaching staff, Gideon has been able to observe Brown’s progress to becoming a better-rounded cornerback.
“I think mainly the mental part of the game is really slowing down for him and he’s always willing to ask questions,” Gideon said. “We have a great resource in the best coaches, and best DB coach in the country in coach Akina. Curtis does a great job of asking questions and trying to get better every day.”
Brown’s ability to ask questions and learn from his experiences on the field has allowed him to become a player the Longhorns coaches know that they can rely on.
“Through four games, Curtis has probably had our best play at corner,” Muschamp said. “He’s really doing an outstanding job at man coverage, he’s really making great breaks, and he¹s been a shut down guy. He¹s not getting a lot of balls because (the receivers) can't get off the line of scrimmage.”
The Gilmer native can feel himself improving with each game and realizes the more he improves physically and mentally, the more confidence he gains.
“I’ve been doing well with my press technique and my fundamentals,” Brown said. “I’ve just been working hard on the little aspects of the game and everything just seems like it’s falling into place. I’ve just got to keep it up and keep going in a positive direction.”
Brown draws much of his motivation from the players who are now in the NFL who were once in his position. The junior keeps in touch with former Longhorns Aaron Ross and Michael Huff, and draws inspiration from their success at Texas and now in the NFL.
Akina noted Brown has similarities to those two when they were young players at Texas.
“He’s really become a more physical player, which I think helps your confidence,” Akina said. “He reminds me a little bit of Aaron Ross and Michael Huff when they were young players. As years went on, they started becoming more confident and their physical nature really started to emerge.”
Although he has performed at a high level to this point, Brown knows that in order to be mentioned with the great defensive backs in Longhorns history he has to continue to push himself.
“Our standards (as defensive backs at Texas) are real high,” Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of people to look up to. We’ve watched some of their tapes as a group, and they just knew all the aspects of the game. They weren’t just athletes out there - they were complete DBs. They knew the mental side, and they had the athleticism to perform on Saturdays. We’re just trying to keep up to their standards that they set here.”
Ryan Graney is with Texas Media Relations